past and present
by Tazallie
Summary: Someone is targeting people form Gibbs' past including someone who was special. Complete
1. chapter 1

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters are not mine,

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

"Je…" she woke up his name still ringing on her lips the dream fading to nothing, she could feel the sweat running down her back, her clothes sticking to her body. Her heart pounded in the silence, but a silence that was not silent, slowly the sounds around her impinged on her consciousness; her sleep deadened mind trying to work out where she was. It was dark, but she could make out other forms around her, muffled snoring, the whirl of the air conditioning that seemed to make no difference in the heat and slowly it dawned on her… Istanbul, earthquake, search and rescue, the hanger that was home and base for her and her team. She slowly sat up, taking stock as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She pushed off the light blanket covering her and swung her legs silently over the side of the cot, as she did so a movement in the distance drew her eye and the dream was quickly forgotten. She heard the bang first, her mind confused as to the sound and the sudden pain that followed…and then nothing


	2. chapter 2

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love these characters to be, they are not mine.

………………………………...

Special Agent Jethro Gibbs strode into the bullpen at NCIS headquaters, coffee in hand, scowl in place. He strode to his desk, deposited his trench coat onit and turned to survey his team

"Where's McGee?" He demanded of the two agents sitting at their desks, Kate Todd lookedover at her co worker Tony DiNozzo and then to her boss

"on his way Gibbs, there was a pile…" she got no further

"Fine, you two… Abby's lab now" Gibbs demanded as he strode towards the elevator never pausing to see if they followed or not.

The ride down to the floor that held Abby's forensic lab was a silent one, Gibbs stood at the front of the elevator whilst Tony and Kate stood silently behind him shooting enquiring glances at each other, and his back trying to judge the mood of their boss and the cause of his haste to Abby's lab

"Uhh boss…" Tony started pausing as the older agent turned to look at the man behind him "what's going on?" he finished ignoring the glare coming from Gibbs's eyes

"If I wanted to tell you in the elevator, I would have" growled Gibbs turning to face the doors again, wishing the coffee cup in his hand wasn't now empty.

The elevator came to a halt and Gibbs stepped out of it followed closely by Kate and Tony into the sterile corridor and then through the set of glass doors that led to the inner sanctum of the lab. Gibbs registered but ignored the music that was pounding away in the stark white room that was Abby's domain and made his way to the black haired and black garbed figure bent over a computer screen in the corner; Gibbs walked over and touched the young woman's back gently.

"Arghh…. Gibbs, don't do that!" wailed Abby the resident lab rat and Goth of the team, "I really, really hate it when you sneak up on me" she chided her boss as she spun her chair round to glare at him before a smile broke out

"So what ya got me?" she asked looking at Gibbs expectantly and with a sparkle of intrigue in her eyes,

silently Gibbs handed her a plastic bag with a sheet of paper and envelope in it, which he had been carrying since entering the bullpen mere minutes ago

"This arrived in my mail box this morning, put it up on screen" he told her as she put on white rubber gloves. Abby shot Gibbs a look under her heavy black fringe, but turned back to her computer and after a few moments did as he asked, Tony and Kate took an involuntary step towards the large plasma screen suspended on the wall and read the note Gibbs had received

'_Her flame shot hair, lay upon her bed_

_Her torn and dusty clothes no barrier as she bled_

_One of your few has paid the price, _

_But can you find out who?'_

Gibbs stared at the screen as if he could work out the riddle through the power of stare alone; Tony shot Kate a questioning glance but the female agent just shrugged her shouldersand shook her head, her eyes betraying her confusion as to the meaning of the note.

Abby spun back to her desk, grabbing the letter and envelope and striding to another area of the lab "On it boss" she called over her shoulder "Finger prints, analysis and anything else I can pull off it" she told him without waiting to be asked or even looking at him

Gibbs watched her move about the lab, her actions hurried but not rushed, without conscious thought his eyes checked her hair to see if she had dyed it red, he breathed a silent sigh of relief, no flame shot red hair there then. With that he turned to Tony and Kate

"I have spoken to a few people this morning already, and almost everyone I can think of with flame shot hair is accounted for at present" he told them his eyes daring them to make a comment on the fact that he had a pre disposition to red headed women.

Kate watched Gibbs carefully before turning her attention back to the letter, still displayed on the screen,

"he might not have taken any action yet Gibbs, it could be a warning" she told him gently


	3. chapter 3

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine.

Chapter 3

Dr Donald Mallard otherwise known as Ducky spoke quietly to the woman lying on the table in front of him

"Don't worry my dear, this will be over soon and then we shall see about finding out who did this to you" he told the silent and disfigured corpse laying on his autopsy table. As the scalpel slowly sliced into the blue tinged body he heard the door to the morgue open silently, he knew from the tread of the footfall who had entered his domain

"Ah Jethro, how are you on this bright and sunny morning?" he asked congenially, not pausing in his actions

Gibbs walked around the medical examiner and stood silently watching him work for a moment before he spoke

"Where's Constance, Ducky?" he asked his friend quietly. Slowly and precisely Ducky put down the scalpel and looked up to face Gibbs, his eyes grave in the weathered and genial face

"And what might I enquire has brought this question about?" Ducky asked seriously "I do believe it has been nearly…"

"Ducky, I need to know where Constance is" Gibbs broke in trying to forestall a long and extracted conversation that was part of Ducky's charm and also his most annoying habit

Ducky watched his friend silently for a moment

"She is, I believe, in Istanbul at present, there was an earthquake there recently and the search and rescue organisation she now works for sent her and Sasha out there" he paused momentarily "May I ask why you wish to know?" he continued, watching as relief flashed across Gibbs's face at the information Ducky had given him.

Gibbs turned and strode out of the room without answering, his mind already moving to the next possible target, although just speaking her name had caused a feeling to resurface that he had long since thought buried.

Ducky looked down at the woman before him and slowly shook his head "I do believe we maybe in for a spot of trouble" he told his silent and captive audience

………………………………...

Gibbs stalked back up to the bullpen and over to his desk, he sat for a moment staring at the coffee cup that sat in the middle of his desk, placed there by someone who knew of his need for coffee, as he picked up the cup he turned to look at the agents around him

"Glad you could make it McGee" he rumbled sarcastically, needing an outlet for his frustrations, but before McGee could reply he carried on "Kate I want a list of …" he trailed off, what did he want a list of? All the women he knew with red hair? All the criminals he had put away? All the people he had made enemies of over the years? Any of those would be long lists he thought. He started again

"I want a list of anyone that I put away being released recently, I also want you to check to see if there are any anniversaries of cases coming up, check for dates that I arrested someone, dates they were sentenced. Anything that would give us some idea who it is and who he has targeted"

He took a sip of the coffee trying to gather his thoughts, who was it, what connection did it have with him and who were the few? Gibbs sighed feeling a headache building behind his eyes, trouble was they had too little to go on.

He turned his attention back to his team

"Tony , I want you to check for any reports of women being shot or even stabbed, who could possibly match the description in the note."

Tony nodded , "on it Boss" he said as he turned tothe screen before him.

Gibbs stood up "I'm going to see what Abby has" he said to no one in particular striding away with the mug of coffee still firmly in his hands.

Tony looked over at Kate, "Wow I'm glad he didn't ask for a list of people who don't like him, it would take a week just to get all the names on it" Kate threw him a dirty look and ignored him as she started on theinformation Gibbs wanted. McGee looked up from his own desk and smiled at Tony

"It doesn't help that the only clue the writer gave us was red hair, that's most of the women in Gibbs' life" he chortled

Kate looked over at the pair in disgust "Pack it in you two, this is Gibbs we're talking about, and until we know who the few are, we could all be targets, so could Ducky and Abby. So lets try and find this guy fast and stop picking Gibbs's life apart!" she told them angrily, her voice strained and tense. Tony and McGee looked at her and then hurriedly turned to their own tasks, neither having thought about who the few could be. The only obvious thing was that the few were people connected to Gibbs in some way.


	4. chapter 4

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine.

Chapter 4

Abby sat in front of one of her multitude of machines running tests on the paper and envelope that Gibbs had presented her with earlier, her mind kept turning back to the words the paper contained and the threat it was to Gibbs. She knew it was an occupational hazard, Gibbs and the team dealt with some of the lowlifes of the world and occasionally they wanted revenge. But this to her seemed so much worse, it was taunting him to find not only the sicko but also the victim. She sighed as the machine bleeped and she read the results to herself. Dead-end again.

She had nothing to give Gibbs and it wasn't fair, she wanted to tell him loads of great information that would help the rest of the team but she couldn't, it wasn't there, whoever this guy was he was smart.

A hand gently massaged her shoulder causing her to jump and spin in her seat,

"Gibbs…" was all she said on a half groan half laugh, as he smiled and spun her chair back round and continued to massage her neck for her.

"So what have you got for me Abbs?" he asked quietly, sensing her answer as he felt the muscles under his hands tense again, she sighed and spun the chair round again, jumping up and pacing the room, unable to keep her energy levels and frustrations down

"Nothing, this guys smart, he wore gloves used a really common paper that you can buy anywhere, the envelope was pre gummed so no DNA. The only thing I can tell you is that the post mark is for Dulles international airport and was posted two days ago." she told him hardly breathing between words wishing it was more "I'm sorry Boss man, I wish it was more but that's all I have, and genius that I am I cant…."

Gibbs smiled at her "Abbs, its ok, I don't expect you to work miracles everyday, only most" he told her gently stopping her ramble into what would no doubt become a technical mine field that would only increase his headache. He sighed and walked to the table where the note sat in a plastic bag. Abby watched him carefully as he read it again, his eyes far off and thoughtful.

"Who are the few Gibbs?" she asked coming up and peering at the letter over his shoulder. Gibbs turned and glared at her

"If I knew that then I wouldn't't be standing here would I Abby?" he snarled, then sighed, Abby didn't't deserve that she was only trying to help.

He ran a hand through his thick hair

"I don't know Abby, I just don't know," he said tiredly, carefully placing the bag back on the table

"I'm going for coffee," he told her as he walked away.


	5. chapter 5

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine. Please review and let me know what you think.

Chapter 5

Gibbs woke slowly, his bedroom in darkness and very quiet. The previous day had been long and difficult; they were no closer to finding out who had sent the note or even who the target was. There had been no reports of anyone he knew being missing, and no reports of anyone fitting the general description being hurt or killed. He sighed and reached for his watch on the bedside table. 3am, he doubted he would be able to go back to sleep, so he slowly stood up and pulled on his jeans and headed for the kitchen.

As he slowly went about brewing coffee his mind kept racing tying to work out who the few could be, obviously whomever the few were the writer believed them to be significant. He ran his hand through his hair, was that how lonely his life was that a killer could target someone that they thought was important to Gibbs, but Gibbs himself had no idea who it was. Did that mean no one was important to him? He thought bitterly. He shook his head, no there were people he cared for; Ducky, Abby and the rest of the team, Const…he cut the thought off before it could continue and turned away to pour his coffee. He slowly made his way down to the basement and his boat, without thought he turned on the small television in the corner, not really planning on paying attention but wanting to fill the silence of the house and his life.

The reporter droned on about local news events, nothing major seemed to be happening in the world and the noise was a welcome distraction, Gibbs paused for a moment looking at the screen and wondering when the weather report would be on and what the weather would hold for the day. He started to turn back to his boat, losing interest in the television again but then Gibbs froze as a picture flashed up on screen and he froze, listening carefully to the report.

"In Istanbul yesterday search and rescue dog handler Constance Storm was shot whilst sleeping, so far the local authorities have said that there are no leads as to the shooting. Constance Storm lives in the Montgomery county area and has worked as a search and rescue handler for 10 years. Her condition is listed as critical but stable and she will be flown back to DC later today. The earthquake in Istanbul…"

Gibbs switched off the television, and stared at its blank screen for what felt like an eternity before he turned and grabbed his phone. He waited impatiently while it rang before a sleepy voice answered.

"Ducky, it was Constance…."

An hour later the whole team were assembling in the bullpen, a happenchance viewing of late night news had given them the first concrete lead, and Gibbs wanted answers fast.

Kate was the first to arrive, her face showing her tiredness but her eyes were alert, she paused by her desk to put her purse away then crossed the short distance to Gibbs' desk

"Hey Gibbs" she said gently, not sure who or what Constance Storm was to him but understanding she meant something. Kate hoped he would fill her in but she doubted it, although the team were close Gibbs was by far the most private of them and none of them, with the exception perhaps of Ducky knew much about Gibbs personal life.

Gibbs looked up and noted the concern in Kate's eyes, "I want you to find out what time she is landing and where, what her status is and which hospital she will be taken to" he paused to watch McGee cross the near empty room

"McGee, I want you to track down retired Special Agent John Mathews, and find out where Special agent Clark Harrow is"

Tony followed close behind McGee and Gibbs barked orders at him too

"Tony, work with the authorities in Istanbul and get all the information they have on the shooting of Constance Storm" he paused to take in all three.

"The letter was postmarked Dulles international airport so it's a safe bet that he flew out and in from there, I need all flights checked and cross referenced with anyone with motive, also check who flew there and back in a short space on time."

Gibbs paused to look at the agents standing before them. They were more than that though, they were his friends just as the people mentioned had been, just as Ducky was. He just hoped that he could stop whoever it was before anyone else was hurt.

"I know who the few are but not they why of it" with that he stood up and headed towards the morgue.


	6. chapter 6

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine.

Chapter 6

Abby looked at her watch, it was only showing 9am, she tapped it sure that it was wrong, it felt like she had been here for hours. She smiled to herself, well technically she had she had been here for over 5 hours already but in work terms her day was only an hour down Her mind began to formulate a theory but she stopped herself, it was of no use to Gibbs and the case and today, that was all she was interested in, that and finding out who Constance Storm was to Gibbs she thought with a slight smile, turning back to the computer screen before her.

Tony sat at his desk, the phone to his ear, where he was sure it was permanently stuck. It was hell trying to find out any information from the foreign authorities, they distrusted the NCIS involvement and the USA government as a whole. He tapped his pen on his desk then reached into his draw and pulled out the packet of M&M's stashed there, he popped a few in his mouth then flicked one at Kate, sitting across form him at her own desk. She looked up and glared at him before putting the offending sweet in her own mouth, she turned her back slightly to him and tried unsuccessfully to ignore him. The next M&M landed in her hair, and she reached up and flicked it back, just as McGee walked past, catching him in the side of the head.

"Ouch" McGee cried as the sweet hit him hard, he swung to look at Kate she tried hard not to laugh as she stuttered out an apology to the younger man.

"It was Tony's fault" she told him sweetly, "it was aimed at him…"

"You got caught in the crossfire" Tony cut in gleefully, loving to see Kate squirm at getting caught playing childish games.

McGee started to reply but before he could say anything Gibbs walked past, brushing him out of the way

"If you three have nothing better to do, you can go home…permanently" he told them, his voice and face hard. He paused before sitting down, to impale them with his cold stare

Kate was the first to recover

"Sorry Gibbs" she told him gently before all three turned back to their work, leaving Gibbs to his thoughts and own private agony.

Gibbs sat at his desk, his eyes drifting to the clock on his screen, 3 hours before Constance landed he thought absently. Kate had found out that she would be landing at12pm at Baltimore Washington international airport, the organisation she worked for had hired a private medical jet to fly her back to the USA. Istanbul was in a state of devastation and did not have the facilities to care for her needs at the moment. And those medical needs were high, he thought as he mentally reviewed what Kate had told him earlier. Constance had been shot in the chest, the bullet had nicked her heart causing her to go into arrest. They had managed to pull her back, stabilise her and remove the bullet and then repair the damage to the heart, but it was touch and go if she would survive. The plane trip itself might kill her, but staying in Istanbul certainly would have.

His mind turned back to the last time he had seen her. Her hair had been longer than that in the news picture and it had shone with the red streaks she put in it. Her smile had always been the brightest thing about her though, she could turn the darkest day or mood into the sunniest just by smiling at him. But on that last day there had been no smile, only anger and pain. Pain that he had caused.

Gibbs looked up as an envelope was dropped onto his desk, the young mailroom assistant darted away quickly under the power of Gibbs stare. Gibbs looked down at the letter and paused. He quickly pulled out rubber gloves and pulled them on, the sound of the rubber snapping drawing the other three's attention.

"What you got there boss?" Tony asked as he walked to stand by Gibbs's desk, Kate at his shoulder, McGee standing back slightly form them, as if unsure of his place in the team.

Gibbs ignored them and slowly slit the letter open with great care, touching only the very edges where possible. He tipped the envelope up and shook out the note, a single sheet of paper fell to the desk. He paused momentarily before unfolding it calmly.

_His uniform long gone_

_He never saw where the bullet came from_

_The few just got fewer_

Gibbs stared at it before slowly looking up and his team assembled before him, his eyes sought out McGee's

"Where is John Matthews?" he asked quietly

McGee looked startled momentarily

"umm, he has a cabin in Vermont, his wife said that he went there fishing two days ago, there isn't a phone out there so she hasn't heard form him. I sent the local LEO's out to check on him boss, but they haven't got back to me yet" he told Gibbs in a rush

Gibbs pushed back his chair, grabbing a plastic evidence back and thrusting the note and envelope in it, "Get them on the phone, I want to know where John is NOW" he demanded striding towards the elevators, Tony and Kate close on his heels.

He spun back to face McGee again,

"Have you made contact with Harrow?" he asked

McGee nodded

"Yes boss, he has been placed in a safe house" he replied thankful that he had already done it

Gibbs nodded and turned back to the elevator as the doors opened, he stepped on without another word.

Gibbs, Tony and Kate stepped off the elevator as it reached Abby's floor and quickly made their way into Abby's lab, the music was pounding enough to wake the dead thought Gibbs sourly, he strode over to the corner and hit the off switch on the stereo system that was causing the racket.

"Hey…!" Abby said as the music suddenly stopped, she paused when she saw Gibbs' face and the bag in his hand. " Another one?" she asked him holding out her hand. Gibbs paused looking at her outstretched hand before slowly handing it over.

"Yeah Abbs, another one, I need anything you can give me" he told her his voice sounding drained and tired. Abby nodded and spun round, taking her rings off so that she could put on her gloves.

"On it Boss man" she told him turning her head to smile at him, but it didn't quite make it to her eyes, she could see clearly the strain this whole thing was having on Gibbs. She looked over at Tony and Kate who both shrugged their shoulders and softly shook their heads in despair.

Abby turned back to her work and put the note up on the large screen. As they all read it she looked at Gibbs

"Do you know who the note refers to?" she asked the room at large.

Gibbs looked at her bent over her keyboard.

"Yeah, the only one who it could be is Matthews, he was a marine like me" his eyes took on a distant look and he started to recall the details of the few referred to in the note


	7. chapter 7

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine.

Please let me know what you think

Chapter 7

Gibbs walked restlessly around the lab, his eyes not meeting anyone, his hands picking up things that his mind failed to register. Abby watched him carefully, to make sure he was ok and to make sure her equipment stayed in one piece. She looked up as her doors whooshed open and saw Ducky standing there, with McGee behind him. The look on their faces told more than words could but she silently shook her head at them. Ducky paused and looked over at his friend and sighed, but he stayed where he was and listened to Gibbs talk.

"Ten years ago the few were Ducky, Constance, Matthews and Harrow and me. We were all NCIS, Matthews was Agent in charge, Constance was a probie like McGee but she had instincts that were unbelievable, she could track someone as if she were part blood hound, and she was just as tenacious when on a case. We all worked well together and landed a few very high profile cases that hit the news, we became known as the NCIS few, because a reporter had made a stupid crack about a few good men, and I correctedit by saying 'and woman'. The stupid title stuck, much to our annoyance, I had forgotten it until recently. The good few that was us." Gibbs had not realised that when he spoke of the time his face looked younger and Abby thought he must have looked like that then all of the time, not like now when you only ever caught a fleeting glimpse of the fun Gibbs. The Gibbs who smiled with his back to you when he found the teams antics funny, the Gibbs who bought her caf pow and gave her back rubs.

Gibbs suddenly seemed to snap to attention and looked over to see Ducky and McGee standing there and it was if an invisible wall suddenly fell back into place and the old Gibbs was back

"Well?" he demanded of McGee, who nervously shifted under the penetrating stare being shot at him.

"The LEO's found no trace of him boss, they said it was obvious someone was there but they couldn't find him in the vicinity, and his car was still there and it's a five-mile hike to the nearest town. They're going to start a full search for him."

Gibbs nodded; it was what he had been expecting,

"Book Tony and Kate on flights out to Vermont" he turned to the two agents, "I want Matthews found, and I want it handled properly, any screw ups will be your last" he warned them both.

"You not coming boss?" Tony asked puzzled, it wasn't like Gibbs not to take the lead on site, especially with a case like this.

Gibbs shook his head "No I have things to do here" he told him, his eyes daring him to ask more. Gibbs turned to Ducky, "If you leave the NCIS building then McGee and I go with you, I don't want a repeat of the meat puzzle," he warned his friend

Ducky smiled "Nor I Jethro, nor I" he said as he quietly left the room for the sanctuary of his morgue.

Gibbs turned and followed the ME out of the room without a further word to the others, Abby watched him go her expression worried, she cared about both the men who had just left here. Ducky was like a father too her, and Gibbs, well Gibbs was Gibbs and she wasn't sure she wanted to analyse it further than that. She turned to McGee, who was standing reading the note on the screen, feeling her eyes on him he turned to her and smiled,

"Have you managed to get anything yet?" he asked coming to stand looking over her shoulder, Abby sighed

"McGee, Gibbs is the only slave driver I answer to, and I haven't had time to do anything yet, so if you would all just leave me alone, I could get on with it" she answered shortly, bending over her desk and retrieving the note, ready to try and pull anything off it.

McGee looked sheepish and started to move away with the other two agents, but at the door Kate turned and looked at her friend

"Its ok Abby, we will get this bastard before anything happens to Ducky or Gibbs" she told her gently then turned and left the room too.

………………………………...

Gibbs caught up with Ducky in the elevator, they rode the elevator in silence that spoke of the comfort they felt in each other's presence. They stepped out as it stopped at the floor that housed the morgue and fell into step with each other, Gibbs making allowances for the older mans shorter step and slight limp.

"Will you be visiting Constance, Jethro?" Ducky finally asked as they approached the morgue, Gibbs sighed and stepped into the morgue, please to find it empty of Jimmy, Ducky's assistant.

"Yeah, I will." he said at last "although I'm not sure she will appreciate it" he said quietly as he turned to look at his friend

"Ahh Jethro" Ducky said "Constance always asks after you, when we speak. It has been a long time and time does heal many wounds, including broken hearts" The kindly ME said, watching Gibbs prepare the usual denial of his feelings for the beautiful and younger woman.

Gibbs just stared at Ducky, his mind whirling at the words, yes he had broken her heart, but he had also broken his own, but he stood by the decision he had made all those years ago. He had not choice for the regrets would be too heavy to carry if he didn't.

"She will be landing soon," he said as he looked at his watch, amazed at how quickly time seemed to be moving.

Will that he turned and left.

Ducky watched his retreat then turned to the drawers lining one wall, he opened one and pulled out the body of the young woman he had been working on yesterday. He smiled down at her sadly "I warned you there would be trouble my dear, and sometimes I do hate to be proven correct" he said to the still form sadly


	8. chapter 8

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine.

Please let me know what you think

Chapter 8

Gibbs walked along the corridor of the hospital, and found the room he was looking for, he had stopped at the nurses station for an update and had been told that Constance was still in a critical condition and was sedated. Gibbs paused with his hand on the door handle, his heart pounding in his chest, He hadn't seen Constance in ten years and this was not how he wanted to see her.

Ducky walked up behind him and laid his hand on his shoulder

"Go in Jethro, I will wait out her with Timothy" he told his friend gently, knowing Gibbs needed to go in alone, needed to protect himself from others seeing any kind of weakness. Ducky despaired at this need Jethro had not to let others too close, not to let them see he was in fact human just like everyone else. But Ducky also understood it and accepted it, but he still wanted to make sure Jethro knew he was here not just to see Constance but also to support his closest friend.

Gibbs nodded without turning and opened the door, he stepped into the bright room, and the sound of machines beeping and whirring was the first thing that hit his senses. The second was more devastating.

Constance lay on the bed, her beautiful hair spread around her face, a face that under a golden tan was ashen and drawn, her lips were tinged blue and the veins in her eyelids, that hid warm brown eyes, stood out. Her soft shoulders with a smattering of freckles were bare, a thick bandage showing above the blanket draped over her chest and body. Attached to seemingly every part of her were wires, tubes and monitors. An oxygen tube came out of her nose, and wrapped around her ears; both hands held drips and wires on her fingers and her chest, where visible, had small round pads with wires attached. Gibbs lent against the door and took a deep breath before moving closer to the bed

"Connie…" he whispered on a sigh, "Oh God Connie" he said in despair, his eyes drawing to the monitor that measured her heart rate and vital signs. He watched it rather than look at the woman on the bed. The woman who could light up a room, who could tell the bawdiest joke and still look like an angel. This was not supposed to happen to her, not to Connie, not his Connie.

Without thought his hand reached out and touched her, pulling back sharply as the monitor made a shrill noise, his eyes shooting to the monitor, terrified that she was flat lining, but the rhythm calmed and settled back down. He stood staring at her hand, afraid to touch it, terrified that if he didn't touch her she would slip away forever. His hand trembling, reached out again and gently stroked the back of her hand, his eyes darting to the monitor, but no change occurred this time and he breathed easier. He stood there like that for an eternity that lasted only a moment before he bent and kissed her lips gently.

"I promise Connie, I promise to get the bastard" he murmured as he raised his head, his hands lingering on hers before he slowly stepped away and turned to leave the room, pausing at the door to look at her one last time before opening it and stepping into the hall and Ducky's welcome presence.

Ducky watched Gibbs walk out of the room, his eyes taking in everything and seeing the pain in his eyes before the wall fell back into place and he locked his emotions away again. Ducky nodded to himself sadly and stepped forward towards Gibbs

"I have spoken to Constance's physician Jethro" he told his friend softly "They are scheduling her for more surgery later today, it seems that the repair to her heart has not survived the plane ride very well, and it needs to be fixed" he paused watching Gibbs' face carefully "The prognosis is not very good I am afraid" Ducky paused at the lump in his throat and at the fleeting flash of pain on Gibbs' face "However she is young and strong and very determined, it is a miracle she has survived this long, so we cannot give up on her Jethro" he told his friend, trying to instil confidence not just in Gibbs but also in himself.

Gibbs stared at Ducky, his blue eyes piercing and intense, he knew what Ducky was telling him, but somehow it failed to register, Connie would be fine, she had to be, he had to tell her the truth. But first he had to catch the bastard who had done this to her.

He turned to McGee as Ducky made his own way in to see Constance, his face shuttered and his emotions back under control, all except the overriding anger he felt at whoever was doing this, and at himself for not being able to stop him.

"I want this bastard McGee and I want him now" he growled as he stalked down to the nurse's station to get coffee.


	9. chapter 9

Chapter 9

Kate and Tony had arrived some time ago at the remote cabin in Vermont belonging to Matthews, they had arrived to find the local Leo's in attendance, running all round the area trying to find any trace of the missing retired agent. Tony and Kate had been furious that the cabin had not been searched and the area was being trampled, destroying any possible forensics should it turn out to be the worst.

And that was just what it was, some three hours after arriving and organising the search themselves, they found Matthews, shot through the back of the head, his fishing rod lying beside him. He had never scene where the bullet came from, just as the note had said.

"No, you want to be lead agent, then you can call Gibbs" Kate told Tony with a smirk on her face, "perk of the job" she tacked on. Tony shook his head and grinned at her, his face wolfish

"Nope, perk of the job is delegation, and I'm delegating the task of informing Gibbs to you!" he crowed back. Kate shook her head and began to retort just as DiNozzo's satellite phone rang. He glared at Kate, who grinned back, they both knew who was calling them. Tony sighed looked heavenward and pulled his phone out of his pocket

"DiNozzo" he answered shortly, he listened for a moment, "yeah boss I was just about to phone you, we found Matthews a few minutes ago, he was shot from behind, died instantly" He paused listening again "yeah Boss" he sighed hanging up the phone. He looked over at Kate, how had stopped grinning at Tony's expression "he wants us to arrange for the body to be shipped to Ducky ASAP" Tony ran his gloved hand through his hair and turned to stare at the body lying at his feet.

"How was Gibbs?" Kate asked quietly, Tony shook his head

"Angry, but what's new" he murmured, "but I think this is getting to him" he added on thoughtfully, the carefree, foolish juvenile Tony showing his true colours for once. Kate nodded and turned to her rucksack on the ground

"Yeah, lets get this done and get home quickly," she said as she started to process the scene, Tony watched her for a moment before moving forward. Yeah he silently agreed, he wasn't comfortable this far away form the rest of the team at the moment. Home sounded really good about now.

…………………………..

Abby bent over the envelope on her desk and slowly began to unpeel it, she had come up empty on every test she had done so far, oh she could tell Gibbs, where the paper was from, what ink had been used but none of that would make a difference to finding out who did it, and she was beginning to despair that she would find anything. She slowly pulled back the last flap of the envelope and spread it out, but her hands stilled in mid motion and she sat frozen, hardly daring to believe. She paused, holding her breath and lent closer to the paper that was once an envelope, she slowly grabbed her tweezers and a microscope slide and carefully picked up the tiny black eyelash that had been caught in the inner fold of the envelope. When she had finally and safely secured it on the slide she let out a slow breath that turned into a scream as she spun her chair around and around. They had him, they finally had something on the creep, and as quickly as her mind formulated the thought her hand reached for her phone.

Gibbs sat in front of his desk, his mind on what Tony had told him moments ago, he had known that they would find Matthews dead but it had been so much harder to hear DiNozzo saying it so calmly. Part of him had been furious at the way DiNozzo had said it, but what could he expect, DiNozzo had never known Matthews, to DiNozzo it was just another case Gibbs thought bitterly. Gibbs picked his phone up just seconds before it began to ring and he nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Gibbs" he answered shortly, he listened intently then without another word he hung up and rushed out of the room.

McGee had looked up when Gibbs's phone rang and he sat stunned for a moment when Gibbs all but ran from the bullpen. He paused for a moment not sure whether to follow or not, but he decided that Gibbs would tell him if he wanted company. He turned back to his screen and the narrowed down list of suspects. It had been hard work but he had narrowed it down to 4 possible suspects. He had been about to brief Gibbs when he had suddenly left, so McGee decided to carry out the last few checks to try and narrow it down further whilst he waited for Gibbs to return. But just as he settled down to work the phone on Gibbs's desk started to ring and with a sigh McGee rose to answer it.

………………………………...

Ducky was sitting at the small desk that was positioned on one wall of the morgue when his phone rang, he looked around for Jimmy intending to ask him to deal with it whilst he finished the report he was working on, but Jimmy was no where around, so with a sigh he carefully put his pen down and picked up the extension on his desk.

"Good afternoon, Dr Mallard speaking" he said politely into the mouthpiece, resenting the interruption, he sighed as he heard the caller on the other end.

"No Mother, I cannot come home right now" he said with gentle force to the speaker on the other end, his elderly mother, who lived with him was slightly demented and demanded a great deal of attention and care "Mother, where is Grace?" he asked referring to her new carer, he paused as he listened to his mother speaking.

"No I Don't think she is dead mother, I am sure she has just popped out for a moment, and will be back shortly." He listened again "No mother, there isn't a manic on the those in the neighbourhood" he sighed as he said it, rubbing his temples slightly at the pain growing there, "Mother…" he started to say, only to be cut off by his mothers scream.


	10. chapter 10

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine.

Please let me know what you think

Chapter 10

"Special Agent McGe…." McGee started to say into Gibbs's desk phone before he was abruptly cut of by an excited Abby

"Get Gibbs now McGee" she all but shouted into his ear. McGee automatically looked around the room, even though he knew his boss was not there

"He's not here Abby, he left in a hurry a few moments ag…" McGee pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, had Abby just hung up on him? He placed the phone back to his ear, but all he got was the dial tone. He slammed the phone back into its cradle and stormed back to his desk, muttering about how he had expected better of Abby, but what could he expect when she idolised Gibbs. He sat at his desk and looked at the flashing box on his computer screen in surprise. He bent closer and peered at it, was that…did he…McGee looked up hoping Gibbs had returned, but it was hopein vain, Gibbs was still absent and the screen still flashed just one name.

Abby hit the disconnect button and rapidly tapped in Gibbs mobile phone number, butit rang twice then went to voice mail, she hit disconnect and tried again but to no avail

"Damn and double damn" she muttered as she hit disconnect again before voice mail cut in. She turned back to the slide and began toprepare it ready for DNA analysis. She became absorbed in her work, her mind racing ahead to cross checks she would need to do, could this be from the manufaction process, must check. Could it be from point of sale, must check; could this be… slice carefully… move magnifier closer…

Ducky looked around the room desperately as he listened to the dial tone in his ear, what to do? His mind screamed. He hit disconnect and phoned Jethro's number, but he received only voice mail, he slammed the phone down, where was Jethro? his mind shouted

Ducky paused a moment before rushing from the room still in his scrub greens.

Tony bent closer to the footprints in the dirt; he moved the bush in front of him slightly and looked at the body lying a short distance away. He nodded his head slightly and called out to Kate. The shooter had stood here to shoot Matthews and it might not be much but it was something solid, they had a foot print and perhaps they might find more here too, only time and careful examination would tell, but one thing at a time, log and cast the shoe print, then move on Tony thought carefully, or Gibbs will place me against a wall and shoot me he thought with some degree of truth.

Gibbs drove like a maniac, his goal to reach the hospital and Connie. She had woken up after surgery and had asked for him. His heart beat like a drum, almost in time with the speed of the car, his mind trying to come up with a reason for her asking for him but unable to settle on anything that made any sense, not daring to hope she still felt something for him.

Gibbs's phone rang as he was driving but he could not answer it at the speed he was driving so he hit the power button and turned it off, everyone was accounted for and he would switch it on when he reached the hospital, it would only be a matter of minutes he reasoned as he hit the gas harder. He took the corner into the hospital car park nearly on two wheels and screeched to a stop, grabbing his keys and jumping out in one fluid motion, his hand reaching for his phone and going to turn it back on as his eye caught the sign telling everyone to turn off mobile phones, with a small sigh and slight indecision he put his phone back in his pocket without turning it on. He headed towards the elevators but seeing the dial above both doors showing they were going up he headed for the stairs instead, taking two at a time in his hurry.

Finally he reached Constance's room and flashed his badge at the unknown agent standing in front of it, he had posted anguard there as soon as she had arrived here, just in case the shooter made an attempt to finish the job he had started. He opened the door just as the doctor inside began to step out. The younger man looked up at the imposing agent standing before him and swallowed nervously before touching his arm slightly

"Agent Gibbs?" the Doctor asked carefully, at Gibbs' nod he motioned for him to step back out of the room, Gibbs looked over at the still figure in the bed and then stepped back impatiently, he glared at the Doctor and waited silently for him to speak.

"Umm, Ms Storm has come through surgery very well, better than we could have hoped and when the aesthetic began to ware off she woke up briefly and asked for you" the doctor swallowed at the piercing gaze levelled at him and the unusual silence from the man, most peoplethrew questions at him, but this man just stood very still and very silent.

"Umm she is asleep again, but we haven't sedated her so she will wake again soon, but please do not wake her, or tax her. Ms Storm is in a very critical condition and is no way out of danger yet. There is a very real threat form cardiac arrest, so please be very careful agent Gibbs," the Doctor said, adding the final part forcibly. Gibbs just nodded.

"Can I go in?" he grated out, wanting to see Connie and wanting to know why she had asked for him, the Doctor sighed and nodded

"But do not wake her, let her wake when she is ready, and do not stay long or tax her strength when she does" with that the doctor turned and left, not wanting to give Agent Gibbs chance to reply.

Gibbs turned back to the door and entered silently. He stood for a moment watching the woman in the bed. He noted absently that her colour looked slightly better but she seemed to be attached to more tubes and machines than before. He crossed silently to her bedside and gently stroked her hand, wanting desperately to take it in his but unable to due to the tubes and wires attached to it, and also unsure how she would react if she woke up. At his first touch her eyelids began to gently flutter and he was startled to be looking into her rich brown eyes.

"Gibbs…" she whispered, her voice very gravely and breathy, as though just that word took all of her effort. Her eyes were intense as they looked at him silently, he had not forgotten how she could look at you and make you feel as though she saw your soul, but he was surprised at his own reaction to it. He took a breath to steady himself.

"Connie…" he started, but she shook her head very slightly, almost imperceptibly but Gibbs noticed and stopped.

"Saw him," she breathed carefully, Gibbs having to bend closer to catch her words. His heart skipped a beat; did she mean she had seen the shooter?

"You saw who shot you?" he asked gently, watching her carefully and seeing the strain this was taking on her meagre reserves of strength. She nodded slightly

"Saw him…Restin, it was Restin…" she breathed, then closed her eyes and slipped into blessed unconsciousness.

Gibbs rocked back on his heels at her words, Restin? How could it be Restin? He wondered his mind a jumble. He looked down at her, his eyes flicking to the monitor to check she was ok, with the reassurance the machine gave him, he bent and kissed her lips tenderly watching as a smile break gently over her sleeping face.With that smile locked into his heart he rushed from the room and out of the hospital, needing to turn his phone back on and alert his team as to the identity of the shooter.


	11. chapter 11

Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine.

Please let me know what you think

Chapter 11

Ducky raced from the NCIS building, heading for his home and his mother, the normally calm and collected Doctor had become flustered and scared, had he been analysing this as an outsider dealing with a case he would have recommended the person to have contacted McGee or the police seeing as Gibbs was out of reach, but as with most things if you are unused to a situation instinct takes over and his instinct was to protect his elderly mother.

The journey to his stately home did not take Ducky long, and somewhere along the way reasoning began to creep back into his mind, and when he pulled up to his house he paused wondering if he had taken the right course of action. But his worried mind could formulate no other plan, Gibbs had been unavailable and time was of the essence. Ducky wished he had thought to grab his mobile phone, but hindsight was a marvellous thing he thought to himself, and he decided he would call the team as soon as possible. He cautiously stepped out of the car and headed up the front steps, his eyes alert to anything abnormal, he could hear the feint yapping of his mother's welsh corgi dogs at the back of the house, he cocked his head and listed to the tone of the bark, and he consoled himself with the fact that they did not sound any different than usual. He paused at his front door listening again, and then he silently opened it. Tyson, one of his mother's dogs came bounding over to him and sniffed at his feet before returning to the kitchen.

Ducky breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his mother laugh from the kitchen and Graces voice murmuring some unheard words. Ducky leaned against the door and shakily drew a breath before heading to the kitchen to speak to his mother and Grace. As he passed the phone on the hall table he thought with some quilt that he really should contact Jethro or Timothy and let them know where he was, but first he wanted to check on his mother.

Ducky opened the door and paused and the sight of a tall man sitting at the kitchen table with Grace and his mother, Ducky frowned at the man and tried to place him, he was normally very good with faces but he could not place the man before him but he had a feeling he knew him in some capacity. Grace hearing the door open turned and smiled at Ducky

"Dr Mallard, we were expecting you home this early, is there a problem?" she exclaimed in some surprise, kindly lined face screwed up in concern. Ducky stepped into the room and smiled at her and his mother, his eyes silently questioning the presence of the strange having tea and cake.

"Mother phoned and screamed, I must admit Grace I became very concerned and came straight over to see if there was a problem," he informed her. Grace blushed slightly

"I am so sorry Doctor, that was my fault, I had popped next door for a moment and a spider frightened your mother as I walked in the door, I hadn't realised she was on the phone at the time, or I would have called you back straight away" the nurse told him hesitantly. Ducky nodded and crossed over to his mother dropping a kiss on her check as he passed her to look at the stranger.

"Donald, you remember Scot Restin? You and he worked together a few months ago" she beamed at him, the stranger stood and held out his hand to Ducky who took it with a smile

"A few years ago mother, not a few months," he gently corrected his mother before turning to greet Scot Restin

After pleasantries had been exchanged, Restin turned to Ducky and explained his visit

"I heard on the news about the shooting of Constance and Matthews and as I was in DC on business I thought I would stop by and say hello, I knew that you were close to both of them, and I have to say I was a little concerned that both of them were shot so soon after another" he laughed slightly "perhaps it's the old investigator in me but I began to wonder if their was some connection to the old team" he smiled at Ducky, his pale blue eyes sincere and friendly.

Ducky sighed and motioned for him to follow him into his study, once there Ducky turned and motioned for him to have a seat.

"I can't say too much Scott but I am afraid there may be a connection, Jethro is handling the investigation, so I have no doubts we will have some results soon" he told the other man bending to shoo Contessa, another of the corgis out of the room, so failing to notice the snarl that briefly broke across the other mans face as Gibbs was mentioned.

"Speaking of Jethro, I really must let him know that I am here and all is well" he smiled as he bent to pick up the phone on his study desk "I wont be a moment" he apologised flashing a quick smile at the other gentleman.

Restin stood slowly and crossed the room, his hand reaching out and disconnecting the line

"I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that Ducky," he said pointing the gun now in his hand at Ducky's face.

Ducky stared down the barrel of the gun and wished he had not disobeyed Jethro, if Restin didn't kill him he thought, then Jethro would surely try to do it verbally. Ducky watched in slow motion fascination as Restin aimed the gun and slowly pulled the trigger.


	12. chapter 12

Chapter 12

Gibbs paused when he reached the car park of the hospital and pulled out his phone and called McGee, he waited impatiently for the young agent to answer

"McGee the shooter is Scott Restin, I want you to find him now, and get me all the information you can get on him, he…" he got no further as McGee broke in

"Already on it boss, I got amatch on suspects5 minutes ago, Restin flew into DC this morning, but I don't have a whereabouts for him in the DC area, I have a watch on his credit card and bank transactions but he hasn't used them since arriving here" McGee told Gibbs, pleased to be able to pull one over on his boss like that, but afraid to let it show in his voice. Gibbs paused, his mind formulating what McGee had told him.

"Good work McGee" he said "I'm on my way in" he said before hanging up.

Gibbs sprinted to his car and returned to the NCIS building at speeds that would have had Kate and Tony begging to live. On his way to the bullpen he pulled out his phone again

"Tony I want you and Kate back here now, Constance identified the shooter as Scott Restin, a former NCIS agent who was fired from the team, get Matthews body shipped to us, then get here now" he demanded, his tone accepting no hesitation

"On our way Boss" Tony told him "we also found some boot prints here that may tie Restin in to Matthews' murder, I'll get the local LEO's to comb the area for anything else and get them to ship it to us if they find anything." He informed Gibbs as he motioned for Kate to come over.

"Fine" Gibbs said as once again he hung up.

Tony looked up at Kate, we have a positive ID from Constance" he told her "Gibbs wants us back now" he looked at her and grinned "We could be there so much quicker if NCIS had its own plane" he grumbled, the fact that NCIS didn't have a plane was a bone of contention with Tony. Kate grinned as she called the airlines to book their flights back to DC. They had a solid lead and they would get the creep, one way or another.

Gibbs strode down the stairs that led into the bullpen calling to McGee as he did so

"Anything new?" he demanded, McGee looked up and shook his head

"Still no sign of where he is in DC, but I am putting together a dossier togther of what he has been doing for the last 10 years, and it isn't good Gibbs" he told him. "Oh and Abby was looking for you" he added on remembering Abby's desperation to find Gibbs

Gibbs turned and headed for the elevator,

"Going to Abby" he called over his shoulder, the ride down seemed to take for ever and when he arrived in the lab, Abby was dancing around the room, when she saw Gibbs she pounced on him, pulling him to her desk

"I have him, I know who it is" she crowed, then turned to glare at him "Don't you answer your phone anymore?" she demanded crossly, Gibbs grinned at her

"Scott Restin" was all he said, Abby paused her eyes narrowing before she let out a piercing scream, that had Gibbs covering his ears in pain

"I really, really, really hate it when you do that!" she growled at him, feeling deflated that she wasn't the one to break the news to him. Gibbs smiled at her, and dropped a kiss on her nose

"But great work Abby" he told her, turning to leave the room

"Going to see Ducky" he called without turning around

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs" he heard as he reached the door, he turned to look at Abby, one eyebrow raised in question

"Don't you want to know how I found out?" she demanded, hurt that he hadn't asked, Gibbs smiled again

"Nope" he grinned "not at the moment" he said as he continued on his way, Abby's squeal of frustration following him down the hall.

Gibbs made his way back to the elevator chuckling to himself, suddenly everything seemed much better than it had, but it usually did after a visit to Abby, she really was a genius he thought, as he rode to Ducky's floor, if Restin didnt confess Abby would provide evidence to convict him, as she always did.

Gibbs strode into the morgue calling out for Ducky as he did so.

"He isn't here agent Gibbs" Jimmy told him walking into the room behind him, Gibbs spun round and looked at Ducky's young assistant, he was aware that he terrified the poor man, and he wasn't beyond scaring him deliberately, but today the stakes were too high

"Where is he Jimmy?" he asked carefully, his gut going on full alert, Jimmy shook his head

"I don't know I'm afraid. I saw him hurrying down the hall awhile ago but he didn't stop when I called out to him" He told Gibbs worriedly at the darkening look on the agents face.

"When was this?" he demanded

"About an hour ago sir" Jimmy said carefully, "I heard the phone ringing so I think he got a call of some kind" Jimmy hazarded a guess

"Damn" Gibbs ground out turning and running for the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator.


	13. chapter 13

Chapter 13

Ducky fought the urge to close his eyes, if he was going to die then he would meet it head on, he waited for the pain that would precede the noise but it never came,

'Click' was all he heard, his eyes shifted from the gun to Restin's face and the smirk on it

"Not yet Ducky, not yet…your special, I want Gibbs to think he can find you in time" he said sadistically " I left the first chamber blank, the rest aren't" he informed Ducky coldly as he correctly interpreted the look in Ducky's eyes as an attempt to fight him.

"If you don't cooperate I will have no hesitation in killing your mother and the nurse" he said coldly smiling as he did so.

He motioned with the gun for Ducky to step away from the desk and phone

"Call out to them that we are leaving, and don't try anything, I am sure you realise I am not joking when I say I will kill them both." Restin said, motioning with the barrel for Ducky to move towards the door.

……………………………………..

"McGee find out who called the morgue and hour ago" Gibbs demanded as he reached McGee in the bullpen, McGee looked up his mouth opening to ask why, but on seeing his boss's face he changed his mind

"Ok Gibbs" he said reaching for the phone and the switchboard, who logged all call to NCIS phones. He watched Gibbs out of the corner of his eye as he did so, aware that something was wrong but not sure what but assuming it had something to do with Ducky. He spoke quietly to the operator and hung up

"It was Ducky's home, his mother to be exact; she couldn't remember the extension nu…" Gibbs glared at McGee, not wanting the long version just who had called, before McGee had even finished he was on the phone waiting impatiently for the phone to be picked up, praying that Ducky was there and ok, but knowing instinctively that he wasn't.

After what felt like an eternity the phone was picked up and a woman's voice answered.

"Dr Mallard's residence, Grace speaking"

"Grace, this is Agent Gibbs, Is Dr Mallard there?" He asked trying not to allow his frustration and impatience to come through, if Ducky wasn't there he didn't want too worry the nurse of Ducky's mother unnecessarily.

"I'm afraid you just missed him Agent Gibbs" she replied cheerfully, not hearing Gibbs breath a sigh of relief "he left with Mr Restin" she carried on. Gibbs felt his whole body freeze at her last words.

"With Mr Restin? Scott Restin?" he clarified carefully feeling his heart begin to sink, he felt rather than saw McGee's head shoot up and stare at him.

"Yes that's right" Grace confirmed unaware of the impact her words had had. Gibbs could feel his frustrations rising

"Do you know where they went?" he asked her

"No I'm Sorry, Dr Mallard just called out that they were going out for awhile, which I have to say is very odd for Dr Mallard, he is normally very careful about saying goodbye to his mother" she informed him happily if somewhat confused by Dr Mallards actions. Gibbs had to restrain himself from hanging up on the woman's long winded answer. He fought the urge to demand short answers form everyone, he didn't understand why people had to give long replies when a few words did so much better.

Gibbs thanked grace and hung up quickly, standing as he did so turning to McGee surprised that he wasn't at his desk, he looked around and saw McGee bounding up the stairs

"I'll get the van boss" he called as he disappeared. Gibbs allowed himself a small smile, was he that predictable? He thought to himself.

Gibbs grabbed his phone as he followed McGee to the garage

"Tony" he greeted when DiNozzo picked up he phone "when are you getting in?" he demanded

"umm we will be there in a couple of hours, were on our way to the airport now boss, the flight only takes and hour" Tony told him carefully recognising the tone of voice, the one that meant trouble for anyone who didn't give Gibbs the answer he wanted.

"Restin has Ducky" Gibbs informed him starkly "Go straight to Ducky's house and process the scene, the van will be there already, any change of plans and I will call you" he said and hung up without waiting for a reply.

Gibbs then phoned McGee, take the van to Ducky's house, I will meet you there" he said without greeting, nor did he waited for a reply, he shoved the phone back in his pocket and went to fetch his sedan.

When McGee arrived with the crime scene van, Gibbs was already inside talking to Grace and Mrs Mallard, he glared at McGee when he finally arrived, his eyes saying what he refrained form verbalising in front of Mrs Mallard. Unfortunately he had already established that other than confirming it had been Restin whom Ducky had left with, there was nothing else either of the two women could tell him, he just hoped that there would be some evidence as to where Restin had taken Ducky. But he knew in his heart that there wasn't.


	14. chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ducky sat behind the wheel of his car, trying to formulate a plan of action, but so far his mind had come up with nothing, except wait for Gibbs who would surely find him soon. His analytical mind argued however that Gibbs had nothing to go on, Scott Had been careful to leave no evidence behind, oh he knew they might find some fibres or hairs at his home but there would be nothing to tell him where Scott had taken him. Ducky looked ahead and saw only empty road and trees; he wasn't even sure where he was.

"Pull into the next road on the left, it's a dirt track" Scott said suddenly, breaking into Ducky's thoughts, he looked over briefly and nodded turning where indicated onto a dusty dirt tract, after a few minutes a run down cabin came into view.

"Pull over behind the cabin" Scott told him indicating with the gun the small driveway hidden by undergrowth. Ducky turned the car and began to worry, this was obviously their final destination, and Ducky was afraid of what might happen know. It was clear that Scott was unstable and sadistic and he hated Gibbs with a passion. The shootings had been Scott's form of revenge, the fact that he knew Gibbs would blame himself, that he would hate that he was unable to stop them, but Ducky was to be his true act of revenge, and that made Ducky terrified not only for himself but for the effect on Gibbs should Scott succeed.

Ducky got out of the car slowly and headed towards the cabin, Scott trailing behind him

"Open it" Scott demanded passing Ducky the key to the door, Ducky unlocked it with his shaking hands, trying to hide the tremor from Scott, but he was fat to observant

"Frightened Doctor?" he crowed, his voice low and evil "You should be, I have great plans for you" he told him conspiratorially.

Ducky took a breath and crossed the threshold, only to come to a sudden stop and what greeted him, he spun round his eyes wide and desperate.

……………………………………………..

Gibbs was growing desperate but he would admit it to no one, Tony and Kate were at Ducky's house, he and McGee were back at NCIS trying to find a clue in Restin's past as to where Ducky might be. So far they had all drawn a blank.

Suddenly a strange beeping noise came from Gibbs' phone, he pulled it out of his pocket and stared at it in confusion, a symbol of an envelope was flashing in time with the beep. He looked over at McGee in confusion, catching an amused expression on the young mans face, which got him a narrow eyed look, which succeeded in squashing the expression fast.

"Fix it" Gibbs growled throwing the phone at McGee, who caught it deftly.

"You have a text Gibbs" McGee informed him, trying to keep the amusement from his face and voice, it was well known that Gibbs hated most technology and was confused easily by it.

"A what?" he growled again

"A text message" he clarified opening it and passing it back to Gibbs

_A house so safe,_

_Went bang in his face_

_The few grow less_

Gibbs paused and looked at the message again, confused the other notes had all had reference to the way the victim had died, but this implied the house had exploded and Ducky's hadn't, He threw the phone at McGee, who caught it and read it silently before looking up at his boss, confused.

"Check on Clark at his safe house" Gibbs growled,

"Right Boss" McGee said, admired at the way Gibbs' mind grasped things so quickly, he had thought the text referred to Ducky.

"I'm taking the phone to Abby" Gibbs called as he strode away, "phone me on her line when you get something" he added

Gibbs strode down the corridor, he was sure that the message referred to Clark Harrow and that meant that he and Ducky were the last two of the few. Gibbs walked into the deafening lab, the noise at a level that would have most teenagers cringing but Abby seemed immune to it as she bent over her desk working on something that he didn't even pretend to understand.

"Abs?" he called to her but there was no response.

"Abs" he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her ear. He jumped back quickly knowing that when she was surprised she reacted violently.

"Gibbs" she groaned "Don't do that" she told him in exasperation, then she caught sight of his face "Ducky…" she started unable to continue fearing that something had happened to the man she thought of as like a father.

"No Abby, there's no news yet" Gibbs said kicking himself mentally for having worried Abby like that and not having kept her informed. He gently patted her shoulder

"We'll get him back Abs" he said softly his hand pulling her pig tail gently, Abby smiled sadly

"I know you will Gibbs" she said with the utmost conviction of her boss and friend, if anyone could find Ducky then Gibbs could.

Gibbs stepped back and handed her his phone

"Trace who sent me this message and where it came from" he demanded ever the ogre boss again. Abby took the phone and read the message, her eyes shooting up to meet his

"Harrow right?" she guessed, Gibbs just nodded "Ok Boss, Give me half hour" she said turning to her desk

"You have ten minutes" Gibbs retorted moving towards her phone, intending to call McGee and ball him out for taking so long, just as his hand reached out though it started to ring

"Gibbs" he said into the phone, ignoring Abby's glarer for answering her phone

"Boss, Clark Harrow's safe house blew up 10 minutes ago, they are trying to put it out, no survivors" McGee told him sadly, even a safe house wasn't safe, what hope did they have to find Ducky he wondered.

Gibbs hung up with no reply and turned to stare at Abby, his eyes bleak

"Find me Restin Abby" he said his voice low, Abby looked at him and nodded without a word, turning back to the phone.


	15. chapter 15

**Authors note:**

**Ok Kate and Tony are back! **

**and I am also going to be changing the romance catergory...the romance just isnt happening, I just changed the ending I am afraid...but I think it is much better. But I hope you are enjoying the rest of the story. Let me know what you think!**

Chapter 15

Gibbs entered the bullpen to see Kate and Tony sitting at there desks obviously having returned from Ducky home whilst he was fetching Coffee, he spoke to neither of them just sat at his desk to see who spoke first. Kate sprang to her feet and stood before Gibbs, Tony hot on her heels. Gibbs smiled to himself inside, it was good to know that no matter what else was going on in the world these two and their competitiveness didn't change. It was comforting with its familiarity but Gibbs would rather have had his teeth pulled by all of his ex wives than admit it to them.

"We found very little Gibbs, and what we did get is with Abby now" Kate said first

"But we did find some traces of dried mud in the study, Mrs Mallard swears it wasn't there earlier but lets face it she's as batty as it gets boss" Tony cut in

"Not that bats, she recognised you as an Italian gigolo didn't she?" Kate said sweetly to Tony. Gibbs sighed more at the situation than at the two bickering as usual.

"Get Abby to analysis the mud as soon as she has finished with my phone" Gibbs told them, hoping that it might lead them somewhere. At that moment Gibbs' desk phone rang, he snatched it up hoping it was Abby with good news

"Get down here boss" Abby said, and then hung up the phone on him, Gibbs looked at it for a moment then stood

"Come on, Abby has something" he said to Tony, Kate and McGee

………………………………………………..

Ducky lay still, trying to make sense of where he was and why his head hurt so much, he tired to move his hand to rub at his head, trying to rub the pain away but his hand wouldn't move. At first he thought he was paralysed but he felt the restraints on his wrists and slowly it all came back to him.

He tested his arms and legs and found them all restrained, he twisted his head trying to make out Restin, but he could not see him in his limited vision, nor could he hear him. Ducky lay still, trying to stop the thumping in his temples, he remembered walking into the cabin and stopping at what he saw before him. Then he had felt a sharp blow to his head and then nothing. Ducky wished he could erase what he had seen and what it meant for him if Gibbs did not find him in time.

He turned his head slowly again to his right and saw the instruments laid out neatly, on a sterile sliver tray. They were all there, all the instruments he would use in an autopsy; and they were all planned for him, but he didn't think he would be dead when the autopsy began, he believed he would be very much alive and very much in agony. Ducky closed his eyes again and prayed Gibbs would get her soon.

…………………………………………………………

Abby had turned off her music, and the lab was strangely silent giving it an alien feel, Abby turned as she heard them approach and threw Gibbs his phone back. She didn't wait to be asked; she was only too aware that time was against Ducky on this one.

"The text came from a mobile phone bought in Burlington, Vermont yesterday, it is registered to none other than Scott Restin, and I also checked it was purchased with his credit card." Abby typed on her keyboard and a map appeared on the large plasma screen

"I have been able to trace the signal from the phone too. At present he is in the Great Falls area" she pointed to the map and then looked at Gibbs

"Boss man, he is making this too easy, if he is ex NCIS then he has to know that we can trace his phone" she added worriedly.

Gibbs stared at her for a moment, and then nodded his head

"Yeah Abs, I figured that one out already, its me he wants and he's using Ducky to get me" Gibbs said slowly.

"I was the reason he was fired, and I don't think he has forgiven me" Gibbs added "But I think Ducky is alive, at least for now, but we don't have long" he added absently staring at the map.

"McGee get the sedan, Abby I want you to keep tracking the phone signal and give me any Intel you can on the area in question." He turned to the other two agents standing behind him "Lets go bring Ducky home" he said then strode out of the room. Abby watched them go for a moment, saddened at eh burdens Gibbs carried on his own, she then turned back to her screen and got busy.


	16. chapter 16

Chapter 16

"He is still at the location" Abby's voice came over the speaker, "Your about half a mile away, there should be a dirt track up ahead that you need to take" she told them, tracking both the team and Restin.

"Yes Abby, I may be an old man, but I can read a map, even a computer thingy one" Gibbs growled taking his frustration and fear out on those around him, not seeing the smiles form Kate, Tony and McGee at his term computer thingy

"Ohh, touched on the male direction gene there, did I?" Abby smart mouthed back, understanding Gibbs far too well to be offended or even worried by his attitude towards her directions.

When Gibbs turned down the dirt track, he slowed and pulled over, driving the car into a section of woodland before bringing it to a stop.

"McGee stay here, let me know if anyone comes down the road, or if anyone leaves, Tony, Kate you're with me" he barked at them getting out of the car and checking his weapon and head set.

"But Boss..." McGee started not wanting to be left behind; Gibbs just turned and glared the younger agent into submission. Tony standing behind and to Gibbs left started pulling faces at McGee, pretending to cry. McGee just glared past Gibbs at Tony. Without warning Gibbs turned and smacked Tony in the back of the head

"DiNozzo, do that again and I will leave you here instead" he snarled at Tony, Kate smiled at McGee and then smirked at Tony

"Are you two coming or are you going to make gaga eyes at Tony all night?" Gibbs called out to Kate, already some distance ahead. Tony and Kate exchanged surprised glances not having seen or heard Gibbs move away. Both jogged to catch up with him, both wondered how a man so much older than them could be so much faster.

………………………………………

Ducky listened to Restin move around behind him; he had returned some 20 minutes ago but had yet to say anything. Ducky recognised this as a technique that Gibbs often used to unnerve suspects and Ducky resolved to stay silent too, however hard he was finding it.

Restin upon entering the cabin had immediately moved to the instrument trolley and had moved it to the head of the table where Ducky could not see it, he then proceeded to touch and inspect each instrument in turn, the sounds had proven to be agony to Ducky, the physiological torture proving to be as successful as any physical torture could be.

"Ducky my friend you are doing so much better than I thought you would" Restin suddenly whispered in Ducky's ear. Ducky could not control the start in his body at the sudden closeness of Restin.

"But don't you want to know why I am doing this?" he asked moving to the foot of the table, a gleaming scalpel in his hands.

"I assume that you are going to kill me, as you did the others to torment Jethro" Ducky replied calmly, amazed at the steadiness of his voice when inside he felt like a quivering mass of jelly.

"Correct" Restin smiled, "but not the complete reason" he added on, pausing to look at the scalpel, turning it so that the light reflected off of it.

Ducky stayed silent, as much as he wanted to question Restin he refused to give him the satisfaction, he smiled to himself, Jethro really was an excellent teacher.

Restin stared at Ducky and then moved to the side of the table

"Not going to ask what the other reason is Ducky?" he cooed "or are you going to play strong and silent?" Restin bent forward and held the scalpel close to Ducky's chest "I wonder how long you will stay silent for though?" he asked as if asking what the weather would be like tomorrow.

"Ahh well, we will find out soon wont we Ducky" he continued "I suspect that Gibbs will be on his way soon, so I really do need to get started" he said as he walked to the instrument trolley and pulled it to the side of the table.

"Now please excuse me if I don't do this the right way but I am an amateur at this, you will be, so to speak, my guinea pig" He laughed idly picking up another instrument.

He then put the instrument down and took hold of the scalpel and sliced at Ducky's chest.


	17. chapter 17

**Author's note:**

**have to warn you I have a mean streak and love a good cliffie...so here is the next one, but I cant promise it is any better than the last in terms of being left hanging!**

Enjoy...if thats the right phrase!

Chapter 17

Ducky's shirt sliced cleanly open; a few spots of blood bubbling onto his now bare chest, where the scalpel had nicked his skin, Ducky drew in a sharp breath but said nothing his eyes wide and staring in terrified fascination at Restin's actions.

Restin paused and looked at Ducky

"I hated all of you, the few, I should have been part of it and if it hadn't been for Gibbs I would have" he said bitterly

"You cannot blame Jethro for your being dismissed, you stole evidence in order to frame an innocent man" Ducky declared, deciding that if he was indeed to die he did not have to stay silent any longer.

"Gibbs should have kept his mouth shut" Restin declared angrily, glaring down at Ducky, the scalpel forgotten in his hand. "He was the one that told Matthews, he deserves all he is getting, as did you all, the few all dead" he laughed crazily, Ducky looked at him confused

"Constance isn't dead Scott" he said quietly, sure that Restin must know that, he went cold at Restin's laugh

"Yes she is, she died an hour ago" he laughed again, "that was where I went, I needed to check on her status, the nurse was most sympathetic to Constance's grieving brother" he told a shocked Ducky, laughing at the grief in Ducky's eyes and face.

"I had forgotten that you were close to her, but not as close as Gibbs, it has been so much nicer to know that she didn't die outright, that Gibbs might have thought he had a second chance with her" He paused, his eyes narrowing at the shock on Ducky's face

"Ahh Doctor, you really are naive sometimes, we all knew that they were in love, and that she didn't leave because she had a yen for search and rescue, she left because Gibbs told her she was too young for him, he broke her heart and I smashed it too pieces" He crowed in delight. Ducky felt his grief welling, not just for the death of Constance but also for the pain Jethro would feel at her loss.

Restin seemed to notice the scalpel in his hand again and stared at it for a moment

"Oh well Ducky enough chit chat, time to get on with it, I don't want Gibbs interrupting us now do I?" he asked

"Perhaps you don't Scott, but I suspect Ducky does" a voice said from behind Restin.

Restin spun round to see Gibbs, and Tony standing just inside the doorway, both guns trained at him. He turned to glare at Ducky for a moment, his eyes gleaming with hatred, with a sudden movement he lunged at Ducky and thrust the scalpel into his chest. The report of two guns firing filled the room and Restin's body jerked as the bullets hit his body, he seemed to stand still for a moment before his body fell on top of Ducky's blood pouring everywhere.

Gibbs and Tony rushed forward, Kate rushing in form the back entrance, Tony pushed Restin's body away from Ducky and checked for a pulse, finding none he looked up at Gibbs bending over Ducky.

Gibbs's breathing came hard and fast at the sigh of the scalpel sticking out of the left hand side of Ducky's Chest.

"Get an ambulance Kate" he shouted as he felt for a pulse, relieved to find one. Kate already had her phone out calling for aid; she stepped forward and looked down at Gibbs and Ducky. Blood seeped out of the wound; Ducky's face had taken on a pallor and greyness that scared her deeply

"Their on their way Gibbs" she said gently, taking hold of Ducky's cold hand. She then turned to Tony, still stnading over Restin's body.

"Tell McGee to bring the car here, then tell Abby to meet us at the hospital" she said quietly worried not only for Ducky but for Gibbs. They had all heard Restin gloat at Constance's death, and what Restin had said about her and Gibbs's relationship.


	18. Epilogue

Chapter 18

Gibbs stood quietly looking down at the grave, his eyes dry. Everyone else had left but he felt rooted to the spot. He had failed and so many good people had paid the price. His eyes stared unseeing; his heart heavy, Restin was dead but so was…

Gibbs jumped slightly at the hand on his arm

"Hey boss man" a soft voice said gently, "Its time to go" Abby said, as she put her arm through his

"I thought everyone had gone" he said quietly not looking away from the grave

"No Gibbs" was all Abby said as she gently laid her head on his shoulder,

"Come on, you cant stay here" she said to him pulling gently at the immoveable strength of him, hoping he would come away, knowing she couldn't make him if he didn't want to.

She felt a small shudder ripple through him and then she felt him turn, his hand touching hers on his arm. She smiled slightly, a sad smile.

"So you want to get drunk or work on your boat?" she asked, trying not too look back at the grave diggers moving in too fill in the hole.

"Both" he said refusing to look back, but it taking every once of strength he had not to turn back and look at the proof of his faliure.

"Great" Abby said, "I'll help you do both" she told him as they neared the car, looking up to smile sadly at the people gathered there "we all will" she added

"Indeed Jethro, I do believe it is just what the doctor ordered" Ducky said watching the grief in his friends eyes, and noticing the way Gibbs leaned very slightly on Abby, he smiled, Jethro would be just fine he thought.

**The end**


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